An air traffic controller at Kennedy International Airport turned the tower over to his 7 year old son and young daughter letting them give radio instructions to five pilots over two days last month, according to aviation sources.

The lunatic controller, identified by the sources as Glenn Duffy, 48, of Stony Brook, LI, and his supervisor were placed on administrative leave yesterday after a media storm began to brew over the February incidents.

“A-Mex 4-0-3, contact departure. Adios!” Duffy’s flight-ready son squeaked to a departing Aero Mexico flight, according to a recording of the incident.

“Comair 7-4-4 clear for takeoff!” Duffy’s daughter chirped to a Charlotte, NC-bound aircraft, according to a separate recording of another incident.

I realize we live in a child-centric culture but this is insane. What’s next? A heart surgeon allowing his or her 8 year old child assist in the OR with a heart transplant?

I actually saw several parents interviewed about this at JFK airport and they were fine with it. I mean, what are people smoking? Children have no business in an air traffic control tower giving orders to flights departing with people on board. This isn’t funny and people should be fired.

Excuse my naivete but doesn’t the FAA and the Federal government control international airports and their facilities? So a control tower is limited to Federal employees — not their brood. This is one of the most outrageous stories I’ve read in recent years and completely unacceptable. Hey, maybe next up is a pilot letting his 8 year old boy land a 747 with 400 passengers on board?

Since this was such a positive, laudable, and harmless act, then why don’t
we lobby the FAA to enshrine it by allowing, even encouraging the
participation of children in every-day ATC?

They could add a regulation stating that children are officially permitted
to give air traffic clearances under the supervision of a qualified adult.
Age limit for the kid would be, let’s say… above the age of 5… or should
there even be a lower age limit? Heck, why shouldn’t your kid’s first words
be “JetBlue 351, cleared for takeoff!”

At least this would remove the danger of confusion on the side of the pilot
when a child’s voice unexpectedly gives them instructions over the radio.
Instead of saying “Who the hell was that?!?” the pilot would just say,
“That’s right, we’re in America! They let their kids direct air traffic
over here. God bless ‘em!”

The regulation could even be extended to animals that are able to mimic the human voice. I saw a dog on YouTube who can say twelve words – that’s more than enough for most ATC communications! If my parrot can say “Cleared for takeoff”, why shouldn’t he be allowed to say it to the pilot of a 747 with 400 passengers on board?

So come on all you folks who believe that the controller acted reasonably,
get behind me and let’s tell the FAA to get these necessary changes pushed
through! Power to the people!

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